1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to truck caps and cover assemblies for pickup trucks. More particularly, this invention relates to an aerodynamic cover assembly for pickup truck beds that is user-transformable between selected configurations. Known prior art relevant to this invention can be found in U.S. Patent Class 296, subclasses 100 and 165.
2. Description of Prior Art
For several years, cover assemblies of various forms have been mounted on the beds of pickup trucks. The modern truck cap is a popular pickup truck accessory, providing a variety of functional and aesthetic advantages. Prior art cover assemblies provide a covered space for human habitation and a weatherproof storage space for cargo. A variety of colored and styled bed cover assemblies for popular pickup truck models exist.
Typical truck caps are made of rigid material, and they often are shaped somewhat “squarish,” i.e., generally in the form of a rectangle. Typical prior art truck caps comprise a front wall, opposed side walls, and a rear hatch, with all four sides containing safety glass for lateral and rearward visibility. The roof portion of most truck caps either extends above or is flush with the top of the cab. Such accessories often increase aerodynamic drag, and reduced fuel economy is unfortunately typical.
However, for purposes of streamlining, an aerodynamic truck cap has a roof, which begins flush in height with the roof of the truck cab and then slopes rearward to a height approximate to that of the tailgate of the pickup truck bed. This sloping fastback roof of the aerodynamic truck cap provides much less wind resistance than a truck cap with a roof that is flush to the roof of the truck cab. The greatest benefit of an aerodynamic truck cap is in increasing the fuel efficiency of the host pickup truck. The main drawback of the aerodynamic truck cap is that, with its slope, there is a substantial loss of interior volume over that provided by a truck cap with a roof flush with the cab of the pickup. This diminishes the space for human habitation and cargo stowage in the aerodynamic truck cap over that space provided by a standard truck cap.
Both U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,184 to Byrd (1985) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,960 to Benignu (1994) show aerodynamic truck caps. Both of these patents show the ability to change configuration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,184 to Byrd provides a truck cap which can be stored in a relatively small space and minimizes wind resistance. The Byrd patent collapses from an aerodynamic configuration to a smaller stored configuration. In the aerodynamic configuration, the Byrd patent only allows cargo to be loaded through the open tailgate space. There is no hinging of the sloped roof, which, if allowed to open and shut would provide a more utilitarian design for cargo loading and unloading. Cargo size is reduced to the square footage of the tailgate opening. The small entrance through the tailgate opening does not facilitate easy access for human habitation. There is no ventilation provided for human or domestic animal occupancy. The truck cap in the Byrd patent is made of vinyl fabric that is more apt to flutter when acted upon by aerodynamic forces experienced at sustained freeway speeds. Valuable cargo is also more vulnerable to theft when the host vehicle is left unattended.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,960 to Benignu provides a tent-like arrangement with an aerodynamic contour. That configuration purports to create less air drag. With a growing global demand for fossil fuels, fuel prices are increasing annually. Such a global dynamic pleads for decreasing fuel consumption. When the truck bed is used for hauling, the tonneau top is removed. If cargo is to be transported, a large portion of the assembly must be removed. The fully deployed configuration of Benignu's design can only be assumed when the host vehicle is static. Additionally, the tailgate must be lowered to complete the interior expansion of the design. Benignu's structure, except for the support frame, is made from fabric. The design is not meant to be in the expanded configuration while the host vehicle is being operated on the road in motion.
In my prior patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,095 entitled “Transformable truck bed cover assembly”, issued Sep. 14, 1999, I provided a transformable cover assembly for pickup trucks that was user-switchable between a low profile configuration covering the rear truck bed, and a fully deployed, camper configuration. The apparatus unfolds from a planar orientation into a pair of cooperating, stacked, generally wedge-shaped segments. The complementary segments form an inhabitable enclosure in the general form of a parallelepiped when erected. A planar deck that is foldably deployed comprises a top that ultimately covers the upper segment, and a shroud that unfolds to form a border between the adjacent, deployed segments. A foldable framework comprising a plurality of cooperating members enables foldable transformation. As the assembly deploys, it unfurls pliable, generally triangular walls at the segment sides. However, the overall configuration did not exhibit the desired reduction in wind drag necessary in today's world to maximize fuel economy.
In conclusion, I am aware of no easily removable, aerodynamic truck cap designed to reduce wind drag in one mode, to user-deploy into a convenient camping or storage mode, and which protectively enshrouds truck bed contents in either mode. Ideally, a truck cap should be made from rigid material with a hinged roof to enable easy deployment. It must provide the user with maximum space for enhanced cargo capacity, and for comfortable human habitation. An acceptable truck cap must also be weatherproof. I am aware of no such truck cap combining the attributes of reduced fuel consumption and wind drag in its compact, aerodynamic mode, while at the same time maximizing fuel economy. Furthermore, I am aware of no such analogous wind drag reducing structure that is quickly foldably transformable to an erected camping mode.